Typewriting machine



Jan, 1 1924- W. F. HELMOND TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed Apri |NVENTOR= Patented Jan. 1, 1924.

'UNITEDJU STATES TYPE'WRITER COMPANY, OF NEW PATENT [oF-FicE.

WILLIAM F. HELMOND, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, .ASSI GNOR TO III1511!):[2337'00]) YORK, Y., A CORIORATION OF DELAWARE.

'1YPEWRITING MACHINE.

Application flledApril 9, 1920. SerialNo. 372,431.

fl '0 all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. HELMOND, a citizen of the United States, residing in Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Typewriting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to paper-feeding devices of typewriting machines, and is herein disclosed as applied to an Underwood standard typewriting machine embodying many of the features shown in Patent No. 1,302,161, granted to me April 29, 1919. I5 Machines of the type shown in said patent are especially intended to be used for writing upon cards or sheets which do not bend easily around the platen. In order to handle such work-sheets advantageously, said patent shows a card-holder which bridges the type-guide at the printing point Usually the machine is provided with paper-. W fingers or feedrolls at and above the writing line. According to the present invention, feed-rolls may be mounted upon a shaft which may be readily mounted upon or detached from the usual platen frame, and

- which, when mounted, may either bear upon the work-sheets above the printing line, or may be swung up out of the way.

I have found it'possible to construct a strong yet light device embodying a pair of brackets which may be held byspring clips to studs mounted upon the usual platen frame, in place of certain of the usual screws which hold the usual cover plates or casings in place. These brackets may include spring-pressed followers which bear upon offset extensions of the roll shaft by which the shaftis journaled in the brackets,

thus serving to press the shaft rolls against the platen. The follower may bear against a cam which is fast upon the shaft and s0 shaped that the shaft is detained in either its effective position with the rolls against the platen, or at an ineffective position away from the platen. The springs which operate these followers, one for each end of the shaft, may serve to hold effective the catches by which the brackets are held to the studs.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of an Underwood standard typewriting machine carr1age,'s how1ng my invention as applied thereto, wlth certain parts omitted or broken away for the sake of clearness.

F igure 2 is a sectional front view of a bracket and its mounting. Figure 3 is a side view of the parts shown in Figure 1, also showing fragments of the frame of the typewriting machine.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary front view of the parts seen in Figure 1.

F gure 5 is a detail planview, partly in section, showing how the-shaft is journaled.

F1gure-6isa sectional view of an upper front feed-roll. Figure 7 is a pers ective view of a locatmg collar for the r0 1.

In the Underwood standard typewriting machlne, a worksheet is passed down over apaper-table 10 at the back of a platen frame 11, which forms part of a carriage 12, so that the work-sheet passes beneath the platen 13, being carried around it by feed-rolls 14-and 15, up in front of the printmg point opposite the type-bar diagrammatically shown at 16. The platenv is journaled by its axle 17 in the ends 18 and 19 of the platen frame 11, and is adapted. to be rotated by the finger-wheels 20, or by the line-space handle 21, which is effective, through the usual slide 22, upon the linespace wheel 23 which is fast to the axle 17.

When a stiff work-sheet is carried up above the printing line at the point 16, there is considerable tendency for it to bend toward the front of the machine when it passes above the front feed-roll 15. In order to hold the stiff work-sheet against the platen, there may be provided a cardholder 24 mounted upon standards 25 upon a frame-part 26 much in the manner shown in the patent aforesaid. The card-holder 24 comprises an outer edge 27, which extends above the printing line from one standard 25 to the other, and which is herein shown assuitably stiffened by having turned-over edges 28, and which is cut away at 29 in its upper edge to increase the visible area of work-sheet, andv is also cut away at 30 interiorly of the projecting points 31,

I which extend downwardly from the top toward the printing line. The card-holder 24 is adapted to occupy either the full-l ne position against the platen, shown 1n Figure 3, or the dotted-line position shown in the same fi ure, in which it stands well forward of t e platen, and is held in either of these two positions by the springs 32 1n the manner described in the aforesaid patent. 1

The edges of a sheet are often held upon the laten by paper-fingers 33, which are slida ly mounted upon a cross-rod 34, extending between the ends 18 and 19 behind the platen, and upon which the fingers are adapted to be swung. The front ends of the fingers 33 are usually offset inwardly at 35, and then extended downwardly at 36 to lie upon the platen, and carry pressure rolls 37 which lie intermediate the point 36 and their lower ends 38.

According to the present invention, theremay be also carried at the front of the platen a bail-forming shaft 39, on which upper front feed-rolls 40 may be rotatably mounted in any ordinary or desired manner, or as described below, so that they' may be slidably positioned along the shaft 39; and this shaft is adapted to be clipped to studs 41 and 42 which may replace the usual screws for bolding the cover plates, not shown herein, to the ends 18 and 19. The studs 41 and 42 are formed as screws adapted to be threaded into the ends through the usual screw openings, and are provided with screw-driver slots 43 to enable them to be firmly set up. The shaft 39 is rovided with offset ends 44, in the form of short supporting shafts which are journaled, at the front of the platen, in dependent extensions or arms 45 forming parts of brackets 46, which are adapted to fit upon the studs 41 and 42 and to be held in place thereagainst by spring-clips or catches 47, which are pivotally mounted upon the brackets 46 by shouldered screws 48'. To enable the clips to seize the studs 41, 42, the studs are provided with collars 49 which furnish openlngs between them and the tops or heads of the studs into which the cam edges 50 of the catches are adapted to fit. Each bracket 46 is rovided'with an enlarged half collar 51, which is adapted to bear against the base of the head of each stud 41 and 42 and fit closely thereto.

Each of the offset portions or supporting shafts 44 for the shaft 39 is provided with an enlarged hub 52, by which it is journaled in the bracket extension 45, which, for this purpose, is provided with a sleeve 53 forming a broad bearing or journal for it. To hold the shaft 39 upon the platen, the hubs 52 of the offset ends or supporting shafts 44 extend through the face of each bracket extension 45 and terminate in cam disks 54 which lie upon the outer faces of the bracket extensions 45.

emma These cams are provided with depressions 55,

against which bear followers 56, pivotally mounted on bottom lugs 57 of the extensions 45. To enable the followers to hold the shaft 39 at the rearward efiective position shown in full lines in Figures 1, 3 and 4, so'that its rolls 40 bear firmly upon the platen, each follower is formed as an arm connected to a spring 58, which is anchored in'the bracket in a manner to be resently described, and which causes the fo lower to tend to rotate the end parts 44 to swing the shaft 39 downwardly in its Figure 1 position, thereby causing its rolls 40, which are on .the main part 39, to be swun by the offset portions 44 down upon the p aten. Each follower 56 is provided, as shown in the drawings, with a head or lip which overhangs its cam 54, and so prevents the shaft portions 44 from slippiiqpgl endwise.

e rolls 40, as is clearly seen at Figure 3, are onl slightly above the top of the holder 24, and are at about the level, but slightly above, the front pressure rolls 37. Thus, the rolls 40 traveling with the platen may take most of the load of bending a work-sheet rearwardly as soon as the Work-sheet extends above the holder 24. Each spring 58 is advantageously utilized as the spring to hold efiective the catch 47 on its bracket, and, for this purpose, each catch has an arm 59 extending rearwardly over its bracket and provided with a dependent pin 60 at its end, to which the spring 58 is anchored, with the result that the spring constantly tends to make the catch 47 efi'ective. To simplify the adjustment of the brackets 46 upon the ends 18 and 19, the studs 41 may be provided with conical heads 61, which serve to cam the catches 47 outwardl against the tension of their sprin s 58, w en the brackets 46 are being attac ed. To limit the throw of the catches 47, each is provided with a slot 62 which embraces a pm 63 fast in the bracket 46. To facilitate the releasing of the catches 47, each has a turned-up end 64 formed as a finger-piece by which it may be actuated.

In order to hold the shaft 39 in its dottedline position shown in Figures -1 and 3, one cam 54 is provided with a second depression 65, which is adapted to co-operate with its follower 56 to detain the shaft 39 in said dotted-line position when swung upwardly and forwardly to swing the upper front feed-rolls 40 clear of the platen. It will be observed that in this dotted-line position, the shaft 39 and its rolls 40 are just clear of the holder 24 in its dotted-line position in Figure 3, in which it stands away from the platen 13.

The ofiset shaft portions 44 are connected to the shaft 39, by supporting arms or plates 66, which are fast to the offset portions 44 in any desired manner, one of them, however, advantageousl being provided with a collar 67, in which t e shaft 39 is slidable lengthwise, and which is rovided with a set-screw 68 to enable the col ar 67 to be adjusted along the shaft, and made fast at any desired position. The adjacent plate 66 ma be carried up in an extension 69, which is bent over the set-screw 68 to keep it from being caught by anything, and Wh1Ch is advantageously enough to form a finger-piece for the shaft 39 to and from its dottedthereby to make thefeed-rolls short enough so that, when they are slippedalong the enlarged hubs 52, the openings 69 in the sleeves Wlll be large enough to permit the shaft portions of the offsets 44- to he slipped out through the openings 69, the plates or dependent extensions 45 being open or slotted adjacent the openings 69 for this purpose as shown in Figure 4 at the right. Since the followers 56 are drawn rearwardly upon the offsets 44 across the openings 69, the

hubs 52 run no danger of working loosely in the sleeves 53. I

In order to assist the depression in holding the shaft 39 at its dotted-line position, Figure 3, there is provided a pin upon one hub 52, which is adapted to ride in a cut-away portion of the sleeve 53, and to limit the turning of the shaft 39 by striking a heel or projection 71 on the sleeve. The plates or arms 66 are advantageously laced inward from the fingers 33, as seen in Figure 1; thus the shaft 39 can be laced at its most efficient hei ht, for the fee -rolls 40, irrespective of the eight of the rolls 37 on the fingers 33.

In this connection, it is to be noted that the feed-roll shaft 39, the side arms 66 and the journaled shafts 44 form a bail mounted to travel with the carriage and at the front of the platen to swing a out its pivotal axis rearward into and forward out of co-operative relation with the platen and extending lengthwise of the platen above and for a substantial distance at each side of the printing point on the platen, the feedrolls 4O bein carried by the swingable bail shaft 39 an adjustable thereon along the platen 13.

According to the present invention, the shaft or rod 39 may be smooth, and the rolls 40 may be detained thereon, in any desired position of slidable adjustment therealong, by internal collars 72, of split-ring form, which may be formed of phosphor-bronze, each having a body 73 and end flanges 74. Each collar 72 is normally of slightly smaller internal diameter than the diam? eter of the rod 39, and is resilient and contractile, for frictionally gripping the rod 39, in order to retain the corresponding roll To facilitate the pivoted 40 in whatever position on this sup orting rod 39 to which it may be ad'usted along the platen 13. The ends of t e collar 72 may be slightly rounded at 75 to enable it to slip. easily over the end of the shaft 39, to

expand the collar when assemblin and along the shaft 39 when moved with sufli cient strength to overcome the friction by which the collar detains its roll at any set position.

The rubber peripheral portion 76 of each roll 40 may revolve with the barrel or body 77 thereof, which is bored out to fit closely, but easily, the rod 39. The body 77 has therein a central internalrecess or chamber 78, which is open at one end of the body- 'part 77 and is threaded at the outer end to accommodate the screw-plug or' hollow screw 79, said screw forming a closure for the open end of the chamber 78 to retain the split collar 72 therein, and said screw being inserted and screwed down after the split friction collar 72 has been inserted in the chamber 78. The screw 79 and the body 77 may be provided with hexagon heads 80, which serve to confine the rubber peripheral part or ring 76 in place, and enable the screw 79 to e tightened in the barrel, leaving just room for the free play of the collar' 72.

, Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portionsof the improvements may beused without others.

Having thus described my-invention, I claim: 1

1. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a traveling carriage, of a platen-frame in said carriage having ends,

cam adapted to cause the rolls to bear upon the platen.

2. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a traveling carriage, of a platen-frame in said carriage having ends, a platen journaled in said frame, swingable paper-fingers supported near the back of the frame, adapted tohold the margins of work-sheets upon the platen, a bracket on said frame at each end near its front, a front feed-roll shaft having offset ends journaled in said brackets, said offset ends adapted to permit the swinging of said fingers, 'a cam upon one of said offset ends, and a springpressed follower adapted to swing the shaft to carry its rolls against the platen.

3. 'The combination with a feed-roll shaft havingofiset ends, of a bracket for each end, an enlarged hub on each end, an opensided bearing in each bracket for its hub, and an enlargment on each offset end heond the bracket-journal, the connections bein such that a bracket may be slipped ofl' the ub to the oflset end, and then withdrawn by the open side of the bearing.

4:. The combination with a feed-roll shaft having ofi'set ends, of a bracket for each end, an enlarged hub on eachv end, an open-sided bearing in each bracket for its hub, an enlargement on each ofl'set end beyond the bracket-journal, the connections being such that a bracket may be slipped ofi the hub to the ofiset end, and then withdrawn by the open side of the bearing, a cam on said enlargement, a platen, and a spring-pressed follower adapted to bear against the cam to hold the rolls upon the shaft against the platen.

5. The combination with a feed-roll shaft havin ofiset ends, of a bracket for each end, an en arged hub on each end, an open-sided bearing in each bracket for its hub, an enlargement on each offset end beyond the bracket-journal, the connections being such that a bracket may be slipped off the hub to the ofi'set end, and then withdrawn by the open side of the bearing, a platen-frame adapted to receive the brackets, and a clip upon each bracket adapted to engagle a stud upon the platen-frame.

6. The combination with a feed-roll shaft having ofi'set ends, of a bracket for each end, an enlarged hub on each end, an open-sided bearing in each bracket for its hub, an enlargement on each ofi'set end beyond the bracket-journal, the connections being such that a bracket may be slipped 0d the hub to the ofi'set end, andthen withdrawn by the open side of the bearing, a cam on said enlargement, a platen-frame adapted to re \ceive the brackets and comprising a platen, a follower adapted to bear against the cam to hold the rolls upon the shaft against the platen, a catch adapted to engage a stud upon the platen-frame, and a single spring drawing upon both the follower and the catch.

7. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a traveling carriage having a platen and a platen-frame having ends, of a card-holder adapted to bear against a card above the printing line as the platen carries the card past it, a roll-shaft adapted to hold rolls upon the platen to bear upon the card substantially on a line with the holder, ofi'- set ends upon the shaft, brackets adapted to be mounted at the front of the frame ends, and comprising bearings at the front of the platen for said oflsetends so that the rolls may be swung backward into and forward out of co-operative relation with the platen, and means for holding the shaft to cause its rolls to press the card upon the platen.

8, In a typewriting machine, the combination with a traveling carriage having a platen and a platen-frame having ends, of a card-holder adapted to bear agalnst a card above the printing line as the laten carries the card past it, a roll-shaft a apted to hold rolls upon the platen to bear upon the card nearly on a line with the holder, offset ends upon the shaft, brackets adapted to be mounted at the front of the frame ends, and comprising journals for said offset ends, a cam upon one of said ends, and a springpressed follower bearing upon the cam to force the rolls upon the platen.

9. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a traveling carriage having a platen and a platen-frame having ends, of a card-holder adapted to bear against a card above the printing line as the platen carries the card past it, a roll-shaft adapted to hold rolls upon the platen to bear upon the card nearly on a line with the holder, ofl'set ends upon the shaft, brackets adapted to be mounted at the front of the frame ends, and comprising journals for said offset ends, studs upon said ends, catches on the brackets adapted to engage the studs, and springs drawlng on said catches and adapted to also draw upon the shaft to cause the rolls to press the card upon the platen.

10. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a traveling carriage having a platen and a platen-frame having ends, of a card-holder adapted to bear against a card above the printing line as the platen carries the card past it, a fixed mounting for said holder upon which it may be swung away from the platen, brackets adapted to be mounted at the front of the frame ends, and comprising dependent arms forming journals, and a roll-shaft having oflset ends by which it is carried in said journals, and adapted to hold its rolls upon the platen just above the holder, and, when swung on N35 journals, adapted to stand clear of the holder when swung clear of the platen.

11. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a traveling carriage having a platen and a platen-frame having ends, of a card-holder adapted to bear against a card above the printing line as the platen carries the card past it, a fixed mounting for said holder upon which it may be swung away from the platen, brackets adapted to be mounted at the front of the frame ends, and comprising dependent arms forming journals, a roll-shaft having offset ends by which it is carried in said journals, and adapted to hold its rolls upon the platen just above the holder, and, when swung on its journals, adapted to stand clear of the holder when swung clear of the platen, cam extensions on said offset ends beyond the journals, and spring devices bearing on the r 12. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a platen and a platen-frame, of a stud upon each end of the frame, a bracket comprising a spring catch adapted to engage each stud, a dependent extension of each bracket, and a roll-shaft journaled in said extension at the front of the platen,

and adapted to be rotated in its ournals against and from the platen.

13. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a platen and a platen-frame, of a stud upon each end of the frame, a bracket comprising a spring catch adapted to engage each stud, a journal on a bracket, comprising a partly open side, a roll-shaft adapted to pass through said open side, and an enlarged hub on the shaft by Which it is carried in the journal, the connections being such that the bracket ma be slipped along the hub and the shaft withdrawn.

14. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a platen and a platen-frame, of a bracket adapted to fit upon the end of the platen-frame, a partly open sided journal upon the bracket, a roll-shaft to pass through the open side, a lar er hub for the shaft by which it bears in t e journal, and means for holding the hub on the journal, adapted to permit the shaft to be shifted to be withdrawn through said partly-open side.

15. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a platen and a platen-frame, of a bracket adapted to fit upon the end of the platen-frame, a partly open sided journal upon the bracket, a roll-shaft to pass through the open side, a larger hub for the shaft by which it bears in the journal, an enlarged cam beyond the end of the journal, and a follower having an enlarged head overlyingt the cam, and adapted to swing the sha to carry its rolls against the platen.

16. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a platen and a platen-frame, of a bracket adapted to fit upon the end of the platen-frame, a partly open sided journal upon the bracket, a roll-shaft to pass through the open side, a larger hub for the shaft by which it bears in the journal, rolls upon an offset portion of the shaft, means for adjustably connectin the.parts of the shaft, an enlarged cam eyond the end of the journal, and a follower having an enlarged head overlying the cam and adapted to swing the shaft to carry its rolls against the platen.

17. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a platen and a platen frame having ends, of paper-fingers adjustable across the platen, and comprisin front rolls, a roll-shaft adapted to hold ro ls upon the platen at about the level of said front rolls, offset ends for said roll-shaft, brackets comprising bearings at the front of the platen for said offset ends, means for attaching said brackets to the frame, and resilient means for rotating said oflset ends to swing the roll-shaft so that its rolls bear against the platen.

18. The combination with a platen-frame comprlslng a platen, of a rod, a roll upon said rod adapted to bear upon the platen, a barrel for said roll, and a collar frictionally grasping said rod, and lying wholly within the barrel inward from the ends thereof to hold the barrel by friction against endwise sliding. but permitting sliding adjustment thereof.

19. The combination with a platen-frame comprising a platen, of a rod, a roll upon said rod adapted to bear upon the platen, a barrel for said roll, a screw surrounding the rod, and adapted to be threaded down into an opening in the barrel, and a split collar frictionally engaging the rod, and held in said opening to hold the roll located upon the rod.

20. The combination with a platen-frame comprising a platen, of a rod, a roll upon sald rod adapted to bear upon the platen, a barrel for said roll, and a split collar having stifi'ening flanges, slidably grasping the ro and lying. within an opening in the barrel.

21. The combination with a platen-frame comprising a platen, of a rod, a roll upon said rod adapted to bear upon the platen, a barrel for said roll, having a flange to confine the roll, a second flange formin a screw, adaptedto be screwed down into't e barrel, and a frictional device lying in an openin in the barrel beyond the screw and adapted to detain the roll in any set position.

22. The combination with a platen-frame comprising a platen, of a rod, a roll upon said rod adapted to bear upon the platen,

a barrel for said roll, and a split collar frictionally engaging the rod, and loose within an opening in t e barrel, to hold the roll against endwise shifting, but adapted to allow the roll to turn freel 23.. In a typewritingmac no, the combination with a traveling carriage, of a platen-frame in the carria e havin ends, a revoluble platen journalerf in ,sai ends, a stud on each said end of said frame, a bracket adapted to embrace each stud, a releasable catch to hold each bracket in position, and a feed-roll shaft having ofiset ends journaled in the brackets so as to be swung on.its ends forward away from and rearward towards the laten.

24:. A. feed-device for t e platen of a typewritin machine comprisin a feed-roll having a Ody-part provided between its ends with a recess, and a friction-member in the recess for frictionally detaining the feed-roll in adjusted position along a supporting rod. T

part, a friction-collar in the recess to grip' a supporting rod for frictionally detaining the feed-roll in adjustedposition along the platen, and a closure for the open end of said recess to confine the friction-collar therein.

27. A feed-device for the platen of a typewriting machine comprising a feed-roll having a body-part provided with an internal recess open at one end of the bodypart, a resilient contractile split collar in the recess to grip a supporting rod for frictionally detaining the feed-roll in adjusted position along the platen, and a closure for the open end of said recess to confine said collar therein.

28. A feed-device for the platen of a typewriting machine comprising a feed-roll having a body-part provided with an internal recess open at one end of the bodypart, a resilient contractile split collar in the recess to gripfia supporting rod for \ijrictionally detaining the feed-roll in adjusted position along the platen, and a tubular screw-plug screwed into the open end of the recess. 7

WILLIAM F. HELMQND. Witnesses:

WILLIAM 1?. SMITH,

SHIRLEY E. GLEDJBIILL 

